OP I am not in your area but IF this plant is good for your zone, I highly recommend it. It's ficus nitida, variety is "Green Gem."

It's dense to provide total privacy, and most importantly, stays dense whether in sun or shade. Green Gem is a variety that is resistant to thrips.

I've researched a few hedge plants, because when we bought our house it came with a hedge of Carolina Cherry which only works in full sun; when some shade enters into the picture, it gets too airy (see-through).

But my real advice to you is to drive around and see what works in your area, then take a sprig of it to the garden store to find out what it is. This is because there are always microclimates and you want what works in your area. For example, my favorite tree grows in my area, and I was all excited to plant one, but I noticed that in my neighborhood they all look sickly and leggy. But in my brother's neighborhood they are fantastic and majestic. Turns out that this tree hates a sea breeze or fog, and my brother is inland enough to negate the problem.

Viburbum Pragense has grown vigorously in really terrible soil at my house. It's not impenetrably dense like arborvitae or similar, but it's evergreen and the blooms smell great in the spring. I planted 3-foot high ones 7 years ago and they've zoomed past 7 feet, even with pruning. I see many bigger, denser specimens around my DC neighborhood, so it seems to be a popular choice.

Utubes not itunes

Never had any trouble with arborvitae myself. Just water well the first couple of summers. There are iTunes that show you how to make an easy system.

What sort of hedge? Solid top to bottom? Or would a screen work?

Euonymous

Nannyberry? Viburnum lentago or something like that. Can grow as a hedge, blooms in the spring and produces edible to human fruit. Or maybe not that with the rats that sometimes appear in urban areas.

Morella cerifera wax myrtle - they grow super fast and smell great

Thujas are *much* more hardy than skips in clay soil. I too have had skips die on me

Thuja Arborvitae. Get some that are more mature and developed if you want the privacy screen faster.

You may benefit from a quick conversation with a landscape architect or someone in landscape design at a garden center.

walk around and see what your neighbors have! holly bushes?

Skip laurels are very finicky especially in clay soil. We try to do this for privacy in the back of our house in about half of them died even though we had a higher end landscaper maintaining them.

Trumpet vine would be fast, very pretty flowers and supports pollinators! Should do well in your clay soil since it is native to the area.

Jasmine is great for a cast iron fence. It grows quickly and the scent is amazing.

Hi everyone, can you please recommend some hearty privacy screen bushes or perhaps even trees, but more likely plants or bushes, that can grow tall quickly and can tolerate a variety of soil, I am in zone 7A. I am essentially in downtown Washington DC. I was looking at Skip Laurel, does anyone have any experience with that? I’d like someone that can grow pretty quickly. I don’t mind trimming it.

Our soil is kind of clay and not great. Any tips or reccomendations on plants is appreciated. These plants or bushes would be a long a cast iron fence line to serve as a privacy fence. Is there anything tough and attractive that you can recommend the grows talk quickly? The area gets mainly afternoon sun. Thank you.